18 July 2003
Congressman, Business Leader Strongly Condemn Sao Tome Coup
Rep. Royce and CCA President Hayes back President De Menezes
By Jim Fisher-Thompson
Washington File Staff Writer
Washington -- A prominent Congressman and business leader have strongly condemned the July 16 political/military crisis in Sao Tome & Principe that saw President Fradique de Menezes toppled from power while he was away attending the Leon Sullivan African self-help Summit in Abuja.
Representative Ed Royce, (Republican of California) and chairman of the House Africa Subcommittee, issued a statement on July 17 declaring, the "coup in Sao Tome was unacceptable and has rightfully been condemned by the African Union (AU), Nigeria, South Africa and other nations."
Steve Hayes, president of the Corporate Council on Africa (CCA), seconded Royce saying, "The news of a coup in Sao Tome & Principe is extremely disheartening and discouraging to all those who hope for transition to democracy on the continent of Africa. We hope that the U.S. Government and other governments committed to greater democracy and the rule of law will condemn this coup in the strongest terms possible."
Portugal, Nigeria and Mozambique have denounced the coup, appealing for a prompt restoration of De Menezes' Administration.
Royce said, "I met with President Menezes last year, where he discussed his vision for Sao Tome. He stressed the importance of good governance and transparency and the need to diversity the economy. It's intolerable for a democratically-elected government to be removed from office by force of arms."
The lawmaker, who is a leading expert on African affairs in Congress, said he welcomed Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo's decision to send an emissary to Sao Tome to help resolve the crisis. However, he stressed, "The only acceptable solution is the return of the democratically-elected government. It must be made clear that political disagreements cannot be solved in the Africa of today by resorting to coups."
[President De Menezes was elected in July 2001 with 65% of the popular vote. Last September he traveled to the United States promoting investment in the potentially oil-rich nation telling the Washington File, "I am one of those [Africans] who believes that we can solve our own problems with the people we have already. Financial assistance and investments, of course, are necessary, but the destiny of Africans lies in their own hands."]
Hayes, whose organization represents more than 170 U.S. firms and large investors interested in Africa, noted, "It has been shown time and again that military takeovers of governments lead to further instability, the violation of human rights and greater economic disparity."
"This military intervention in Sao Tome and Principe will in no way improve conditions in this country. This coup sends every wrong message to potential investors in not only Sao Tome but all of Africa."
While Sao Tome & Principe is one of the poorest nations on earth, offshore oil reserves are said to be vast with potential production estimated to be in the billions of barrels in the near future. Because of its small population of less than 175,000, some observers have described it as the "Kuwait of Africa."
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
This page printed from: http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2003&m=July&x=20030718154453rehsiF0.2346613&t=usinfo/wf-latest.html
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